ED arrests ‘mastermind’ in multi-crore Goa land scam

Panaji: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Rohan Harmalkar in connection with an alleged land scam in Goa. Harmalkar contested the state assembly polls in 2022 from the Cumbharjua constituency as an independent candidate.

The ED issued five summonses to alleged mastermind Harmalkar to appear before it and join the investigation. He appeared before the ED on Tuesday and joined the investigation, but was arrested as he failed to cooperate. He was subsequently produced before a special court in Panaji and remanded in 14 days of ED custody.
In April, the ED searched Harmalkar’s office and residences in connection with an alleged land scam, and seized documents pertaining to immovable properties worth over Rs 600 crore. The operation also uncovered incriminating documents of properties — the current market value of which exceeds Rs 1,000 crore — including forged title deeds, indicating manipulation of land records and fraudulent transfers of high-value land parcels spanning several lakhs of square metres in places like Anjuna, Arpora and Assagao.
On April 24, the ED registered a case against Harmalkar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Goa police also registered an FIR against him in connection with an alleged land grab case at Anjuna.
The ED said the searches were conducted based on intelligence and subsequent financial investigation, which revealed that Harmalkar is a mastermind and the he, along with other associates, resorted to a large-scale conspiracy to illegally appropriate land belonging to rightful owners through fraudulent means, including impersonation, creation of fake documents, and tampering with revenue records.
During the search, the ED also found that proceeds generated from the crime were laundered through various individuals and benami entities and finally invested in real estate, luxury vehicles, and other high-value assets.
The ED said that the investigation is ongoing to trace the money trail, identify other beneficiaries, and the roles of other persons — including govt officials — connected with illegal property transactions.